Pocket-guard



'. w.-u A KER.

POCKET GUARD.

APPLICATION FlLED IULY 31, H9.

Patented Feb. 22, 1921.

v Inward-or; K I E UNITED STATES wrtLIAM N.,VJALKER,'OF AKRON, N W YORK.

POCKET-GUARD.

To all whom-it may concern: 1 i

Be it-known that I, YVILLIAM' N. WALKER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at The object of the invention is the provi sion of a safety appliance. of this character which, while aifording the desired protection, permits the convenient insertion and removal of the wearers hand when the guard is unlocked.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side view of a pair of trousers provided with the guard. Fig. 2 is a sectional side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the garment and the guard, showing the latter unlocked to admit the wearers hand. Fig. 4 is a similar section showing the pocket closed and locked. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the guard unlocked. Fig. 6 is a side elevation'thereof, partly in section and locked. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7-7, Fig. 3, showing the swinging locking bolt foldedout of the way.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 17, the guard com prises a pair of opposing upright strips 1, and 2, 2, applied to opposite sides of the mouth of the pocket 3, preferably on its outer side, adjacent to the facing material 4 of the garment. These strips are constructed of suitable spring or flexible material, as steel or brass. The strip '1 located on the rear side of the pocket or that nearest the wearer may be continuous or formed in a single piece, while the outer strip is extensible and preferably composed of a pair of overlapping slidable strips 2, 2 to permit of expansion of the strip to admit the hand of the wearer, or of its collapse or contraction with the pocket when the latter is to be locked. The upper and lower ends of this extensible strip are secured to the adjacent ends of the back strip 1 by rivets 5 or other suitable fastenings, which peneter of the sectional-strip.

Specification of Letters Patent. t t 22, 92 Application filed -Tuly 31, 1919. Serial No. 314,396.

trate the pocket-fabric, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The lapped portions of the sectional strip 2, 2 are united by an appropriate connection, preferably one or more pin-andslot connections. 11 the construction shown,

each section carries a headed pin 6 which slides in a longitudinal slot 7 in the other section, these two pairs of pins and slots being arranged on opposite sides of the cen- Attached to the back strip 1- about mid way of its ends is alocking bolt. 8 adapted to pass through a pair'ofv openings 9 inthe strip sections 2, 2* when the latter are in their contracted position in which said openings register, and also through a hole 10 in the facing-material 4, as shown inFig. 4. The projecting outer end of this locking bolt is provided with an eye 11 adapted to receive any suitable means for retaining it in said openings, so as to securely lock the mouth of the pocket. The preferred retaining device shown in the drawings comprises i a split eye or ring 12 engaging the eye 11 and composed of half-sections connected by a hlnge 13 and each carrying one-half of a longitudinally divided screw -shank' 14 which engages a turn buckle 15. The opposite end of this buckle carries a swivel-eye 16 to which is linked a chain 17, the opposite endof which is permanently and relij ably secured to the back-strip 1 or other part of the garment, adjacent to the entrance of the pocket, by which construction loss of said retaining eye is prevented. Any other suitable means may however be employed for this purpose.

In order to permit the bolt 8 to move out of the way when the wearers hand is inserted in the pocket, the bolt may be pivoted to swing against the rear wall of the pocket, as shown in Fig. 7. In the construction there shown, the rear strip 1 carries a slotted bearing 18 which receives a transverse journal 19 ofthe bolt.

To look the pocket, the same is closed by pressure against its outer side to contract the extensible strip 2, 2* and bring the openings 9 of its sections into register. In this position, said openings and the holelO are passed over the unfolded bolt 8, after which the split-eye 13 is engaged with the eye of the bolt and locked by the turn buckle 15, thereby securely closing and locking the pocket and practically rendering it impossible fora ick pocket to tamperwith its contents Wit out detection. To unlock the pocket, the acts just described are performed in the reverse order, and upon inserting the hand in the pocket, the flexible and sectional front strip 2, 2* bulges or expands withtlie adjacent pocket Wall, admitting the hand without restraint and enabling a pocket book or other article to be conveniently inserted or Withdrawn.

Yhile the; construction herein described is the preferred one, I do not wish to be limited thereto, as the same may obviously be modified .without departing from the invention as covered by theappended claims.

While affording the desired protection, the device is easily applicable to the pockets of various garments.

By applying the guard to the outer side of the pocket ad acent to its mouth, the greater part offthe device is concealed and does not detract from the neatness of the garment, nor'present parts or projections which are uncomfortable to the wearers hand.

I claim as my invention: 1. A pocket guard, comprising a pair of opposing strips adapted to be applied to opposite sides of the pocket-mouth, one of saidopposite sides of the pocket-mouth, one of said strips carrying a locking bolt, the other strip being composed of flexible-sections secured at their outer ends to the other of said strips and having their inner portions slidably mounted by a pin and: slot connection, said slidable portions having openings arranged to register and receive said bolt in the contracted position of the section's.

WILLIAM N. WALKER; 

